Combine squash and 1 tablespoon oil, tossing to coat. Arrange squash in a single layer on jelly-roll pan. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until squash is just tender. Remove from pan; stir in garlic. Set aside.

Bring broth to a simmer in a saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.

Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add rice; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine; cook 1 minute or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes total). Stir in squash, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Top with cheese and sprinkle with thyme.

This recipe is a thick deeply chocolate pudding infused with espresso powder. The espresso amplifies the natural flavor of the chocolate. While the use of both cocoa powder and melted chocolate reinforces this strong chocolate flavor and provides a smooth and almost unctuous mouthfeel.

However, the high cocoa butter content of white chocolate does lend well to the silken texture of panna cotta. Gelatin solidifies the custard allowing for the dramatic presentation, yet melts to the tongue. The panna cotta sits atop a film of strawberry coulis, a French term for an uncooked fruit sauce pureed and strained through a fine strainer. Additionally, the lemon juice, provides an acidic touch which cuts through the cream laden custard.

In a small saucepan, combine the first five ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer to a blender; cover and process until pureed. Strain.
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Gradually stir in pureed mixture. Add cream; heat through (do not boil). Garnish with parsley.

This recipe especially intrigued because of the use of buckwheat flour. I actually had this in the pantry leftover from bilinis which I didn’t get to make. The buckwheat flour gave the clafoutis a nuttier taste but yielded a more cake like than custard like texture. Regardless it tasted great, noting that it was not particularly sweet. If you do prefer your desserts on the sweeter side…like me, I would add more sugar which I may try next time.

Cream together butter, sugar, vanilla, egg yolks, and buttermilk. Mix dry ingredients together and stir gradually into butter-sugar-egg mixture. The batter will be quite thick, almost like cookie dough. If it seems too thick and dry, add a bit more buttermilk. Smooth batter into a buttered 10-inch pan.

Firmly stud the surface of the batter with the halved cherries, as densely or sparsely scattered as you’d like.

Bake for 20-40 minutes (for me it took the full 40). The cake will be light-golden on top. Let cool slightly and serve lukewarm or however you like.

I have had plenty of mussels at restaurants, but this was my first attempt at home. This recipe is the result of my compiling of different mussel recipes. Between the pancetta, fennel, and wine, there was quite a bit of flavor. I also boiled the broth for a few minutes prior to adding the mussels which also helped concentrate the flavor.

As you can see I served the mussels with toasted french bread. I just spread butter mixed with garlic, parsley, and salt onto slices of bread and baked at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

I first soaked the mussels for 20 minutes in water to remove any sand. Then wash and scrub mussels. Remove any beards, then set aside.

In a large pot with a cover, heat olive oil over medium heat. Then add pancetta, garlic, shallots, and fennel. Cook until pancetta has browned and the rest are soft.

Then add wine and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes or until slightly reduced. Add mussels to the pot and cover the pot. Steam for 10-12 minutes until all mussel shells are open. Discard any mussels that did not open.

I have always liked the taste of lamb, the slight gaminess and richness. Lamb chops are something my mom has always made for our family. Traditionally though, they are served with mint jelly. While I do like mint… and herbs in general with lamb; I am not a mint jelly fan.

As an alternative these chops are served with a mint and walnut pesto, which picks up on the great combination of mint, rosemary and lamb without the cloying sweetness and artificial taste of commercial mint jelly.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously spray the inside of the cupcake liners with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, heat the Coca-cola, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy–do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.

Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake liners/tin and bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, beat whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until medium peaks form. Transfer to pastry bag with a 5B star tip. In a circular motion, pipe on whipped cream and top with one cherry.

Before you object to this saying that oven baked fries are limp and overcooked . I had struggled with the soggy mess syndrome until I learned I a little trick. This is to lightly coat the fries with cornstarch .

As you can see above, the potatoes will reduce in size. However you result in a fry which much more resemblance of a traditional deep fried sweet potato fry. Once cooked I toss them in a spice mix to add a little heat.

To cut through the heat and just because, I served the fries with blue cheese dip. By using greek yogurt you get the creaminess of mayonnaise without the fat. I also use buttermilk which is similar creaminess as heavy cream plus a nice tangy flavor with no fat.

Slice the sweet potatoes. You can use a mandolin here or just by hand.

Place them in bag and sprinkle in the cornstarch.Shake the bag until covered. Place the cornstarch covered fries on a baking sheet.

Drizzle them with enough olive oil to cover them completely, but just lightly.

Spread them evenly on the baking sheet leaving enough space between them for air to circulate (otherwise you’ll have soggy fries)….it might take two baking sheets. Bake for 15-25 minutes until golden brown.

Nothing seems to represent classic French cooking like chocolate mousse. The egg whites produce a light and airy mousse. The coffee also helps deepen the chocolate flavor. The recipe calls for Grand Marnier however this can easily be left out. Enjoy!

Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until mixture is thick, pale yellow, and falls back upon itself forming a slowly dissolving ribbon. Beat in the orange liqueur.

Then set mixing bowl over the not quite simmering water and continue beating for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is foamy.

Then beat over cold water for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is cool and again forms the ribbon. It will have the consistency of mayonnaise.

Melt chocolate with coffee over hot water. Remove from heat and beat in the butter a bit at a time, to make a smooth cream. Beat the chocolate into the egg yolks and sugar.

Beat the egg whites and salt until soft peaks are formed; sprinkle on the sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed. Stir one fourth of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten the base. Fold in the rest in batches.

Refrigerate what you serve it in ( I used martini glasses) for at least 2 hours or overnight.